


A Study in the Young Malade Imaginaire

by abp



Series: Studies [2]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-05
Updated: 2013-04-05
Packaged: 2017-12-07 12:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/748630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abp/pseuds/abp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Musichetta knows Joly better than she knows herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Study in the Young Malade Imaginaire

**Author's Note:**

> So, this turned into a thing.

Joly drinks herbal teas. He has an assortment of kinds that he likes and insists that they have them all at any given time since each one has different healing properties. He eagerly tells anyone who will listen all about antioxidants and the importance of health foods. Between his penchant for organic and Bossuet’s gluten intolerance, their grocery bill is enormous each week. He makes green smoothies and convinces them all to drink the awful liquid, even though they hate it. _( **Your health is important to me!** Alright already, just give me the damn thing)._ He buys vitamins for them and strictly enforces their consumption.

He smiles often, but most often with Bossuet. The pair of them have been thick as thieves for longer than Musichetta has known them. Joly gravitates towards him unconsciously and worries about him when he’s not present. He shares everything with Bossuet, from clothes and food to secrets and hopes. He shares with Musichetta too, but she knows it comes less instinctively. Telling Bossuet everything is natural as breathing, telling her takes effort sometimes. He makes the effort. He always does.

 He worries constantly about illnesses and continually misdiagnoses himself. In a span of a week he’ll have been certain he has at least three different serious conditions. Musichetta humors him and lets him go through his panicking, knowing he’ll only turn more frantic if she tells him how silly he’s being. _( **I think I have pneumonia**. If you say so, darling._ **_I’m going to die, Chetta._ **_At least I’ll still have Bossuet. **That’s not funny!** )_.

Joly makes the best homemade chicken noodle soup. His chocolate mousse is equally delightful. The two dishes are the extent of things Joly can make that don’t come in a box or have “easy” in the title. Musichetta was unsurprised to find out both dishes were Bossuet’s favorites and Joly had specifically asked his mother for recipes. He tried to learn to make Musichetta’s favorite meal, but that was a mistake they agreed to never talk about again.

Joly calls his mother every week to catch up.

He cares deeply about equality. He hates carrots. His handwriting is atrocious. He’s cheerful and happy and loves a good joke. He plays piano badly—thanks to years of lessons that he never practiced for—but likes to play all the same. He combs Musichetta’s hair after she showers. She knows that secretly he’s checking for lice.

Joly reads scientific journals and grumbles about mistakes and crackpot theories. He listens to bad pop music on the radio and sings off-key—especially when he thinks no one is home. His favorite ice cream is maple walnut. _(Only old ladies eat that stuff. **I don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s the best kind** ). _He likes black licorice too.

When he’s angry, he doesn’t say so. He prefers to seethe silently and it causes more problems than anything. But he hates starting arguments. Musichetta forces him to sit down and talk about his feelings at least once a week; he won’t get it out otherwise.

He gets sunburn in the summer, worse than anyone. He whines and pouts and spouts statistics about skin cancer until Musichetta rubs aloe on his skin. She counts his freckles. He has a lot—on his arms, across his nose, scattered over his back. Joly laughs when Bossuet makes up stories of constellations in his freckled skin and Musichetta sings songs about them. _( **A ballad about a juggling panda?** It’s what it looks like. Don’t blame us, blame your skin). _His teeth are crooked but his smile charming.

He takes long, hot showers by himself. His shampoo smells like apples; it’s dandruff shampoo even though he doesn’t have dandruff (he _thinks_ he does). He likes period dramas and lives on _Downton Abbey_. If you spoil a show for him, he’ll eat you alive.

Sometimes Joly has anxiety attacks. They find him curled up on the floor, sweating and hyperventilating. His heart pounds and he trembles as he cries. The only thing to do is talk calmly and stroke his back ( _but only if he says it’s okay_ ) and hope it ends soon. Then bring him water and hold him close so he knows he’s not alone anymore. _( **I always feel alone then. And scared.**_ _It’s okay now, I’ve got you.)_ He goes to a therapist every other Monday.

Joly volunteers at the hospital and loves it. He’s going to be a doctor. People think it’s ironic, but Musichetta finds sense in it. Joly is a healer; it’s what he’s meant to do.

He always wakes up first and learned to make decent coffee for that reason.  All his classes are early in the day and he prefers it that way, though he tries to schedule them late enough that he can still have breakfast with Musichetta and Bossuet. Breakfast is his favorite meal.

His eyes are warm; like melted chocolate. His nose crinkles when he smiles.

Some people look at him and think he loves Bossuet more. Or maybe loves Musichetta more. They ask how he can be happy with the three of them when surely it’s imbalanced—surely Joly must favor one of them, and Bossuet and Musichetta must too. These people don’t understand. When Musichetta sees Joly, she knows he’s all heart. He loves so purely and so openly; to love them both and to love them equally is no struggle. It’s natural.

Joly is hers and Bossuet’s as they are his. Three parts of a puzzle and happiest together.


End file.
